"Well, he was never even a little in love with me," Claude says, with something like wry amusement. "That was something we were always clear on, and that he never wanted to give me any false impressions about - we were friends who fucked, and nothing more. If he's usually at least a little in love with the people he sleeps with...maybe that was a warning sign of its own, huh?"
He shakes his head. "All I know is that I'm the same guy now as I was when I first met him, but I went from someone he wanted to spend time with to someone he can't have in his life anymore. And based on what he said, it's because he thought I'd be different when I trusted him. So all I can think is that he liked some person he imagined I could be if he won me over enough, not the person I've been the whole time." He shrugs, looking away. "I guess I couldn't have done anything but disappoint him."
After a moment, however, he seems to forcibly shake the melancholy off, turning back to Geralt with a softer smile. "I'm glad he's with you now. After so long, he knows exactly what he's getting with you, and he couldn't be more obvious about that being exactly what he wants. And if he were going to change his mind about that, he had years of time to do it in. Don't let my troubles with him make you think you have a single thing to worry about, Geralt - you're on a whole other level. And I'm genuinely happy for the both of you."
Now, finally, his smile does turn amused at the mention of what Jaskier did with the sketchbook. "Not quite the overcome reaction I would have expected. What inspired that?"
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Date: 2021-07-31 09:31 am (UTC)He shakes his head. "All I know is that I'm the same guy now as I was when I first met him, but I went from someone he wanted to spend time with to someone he can't have in his life anymore. And based on what he said, it's because he thought I'd be different when I trusted him. So all I can think is that he liked some person he imagined I could be if he won me over enough, not the person I've been the whole time." He shrugs, looking away. "I guess I couldn't have done anything but disappoint him."
After a moment, however, he seems to forcibly shake the melancholy off, turning back to Geralt with a softer smile. "I'm glad he's with you now. After so long, he knows exactly what he's getting with you, and he couldn't be more obvious about that being exactly what he wants. And if he were going to change his mind about that, he had years of time to do it in. Don't let my troubles with him make you think you have a single thing to worry about, Geralt - you're on a whole other level. And I'm genuinely happy for the both of you."
Now, finally, his smile does turn amused at the mention of what Jaskier did with the sketchbook. "Not quite the overcome reaction I would have expected. What inspired that?"